Four Line Summary (46/50, 92%, A): The defeat of the Burning Legion was only the beginning. The drums of war are beating once again. The truces established have been broken. The world’s fate is now in your hands.

Game Information

Story (10/10): World of Warcraft begins where Warcraft III ends. Throwing aside their racial hatreds, the Alliance and the Horde banded together to successfully stop the invasion of the Scourge. This victory behind them, the people of Azeroth begin rebuilding their damaged kingdoms.

There are two factions for you to choose from, the Alliance and the Horde.

The Alliance consists of Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, and Gnomes.
The Horde consists of Orcs, Trolls, Tauren, and Undead.

You will be able to choose from many different classes: Warrior, Mage, Druid, Hunter, Warlock, Priest, Paladin, Rogue, and Shaman.

The story is now in your hands…as a player in World of Warcraft it will be your job to shape the future of Azeroth. Whether you decide to become an expert fisherman or a slayer of the most powerful creatures, this game will keep you captivated for a long time. For more on the storyline of Warcraft, click here.

Graphics (9/10): Some may say the game looks too colorful and “cartoonish”. Despite this, World of Warcraft looks wonderful. When looking at the game’s graphics, remember – this is not Doom 3, Half-Life 2, or Everquest 2. From the snow-covered forests to the sun-cracked deserts, from the mysterious waters to the lush rainforests, Blizzard has done a great job making the game look good without requiring you to sell an arm and a leg for a video card. Just take a look at the many screenshots in this review, they show how impressive the graphics really are.

Sound and Music (9/10): Blizzard has always done a great job in the sound department and World of Warcraft lives up to this reputation. The music is of epic-quality and the sound enhances the gameplay. A link to some music from the game is found later in this review. The only complaint I have with this aspect of the game is sounds occasionally repeat – annoying, but this is found in most games and is often caused by the computer. Overall, the sound and music of World of Warcraft is amazing.

Game Play/Control (10/10): The best part of World of Warcraft is the game play. Players will be captivated by the game and will be glued to their seats for hours and hours. No matter what your preference, there is something in this game for you. If you prefer going hand to hand with the enemy, you may consider the path of a warrior, paladin, or rogue. If you like spellcasting, warlocks, mages, and priests may be the class for you. If you can’t decide which you enjoy better, you can always make a shaman, druid, or hunter. Different races allow further customization – humans, gnomes, night elves, dwarves from the alliance and orcs, tauren, trolls, and undead from the horde. For more on character customization, click here for information about races and here for information about classes.

These two factions wage war against each other constantly on PvP servers (player vs. player) which are supported by Warrior Nation. For more on this battle between the Alliance and the Horde, click here.

The combat in World of Warcraft is pretty generic to the MMORPG genre. Every player has a health bar and dies when it reaches 0. Warriors also have a rage bar. Rage is used to perform special combat maneuvers, such as stunning an enemy, hitting the enemy for more damage, pierce an enemy for damage over time, etc. Rage builds up when warriors are hit in combat, when they dish out a hit, and when they dodge, parry, or block an attack. Rogues have an energy bar which is much like the rage bar of the warrior except it regenerates over time and is used up, not regained, in combat. All other classes have mana, which is regenerated over time and allows for spellcasting. For more on combat in World of Warcraft, click here.

Many professions exist in this game: herbalism, fishing, mining, skinning, alchemy, blacksmithing, cooking, engineering, leatherworking, tailoring, enchanting, and first aid. Most professions allow you to gather and create items that can be useful to players everywhere. Professions are a fun part of the game and are a good way to make money. For more on these professions, click here.

As players level up, more zones, equipment, and skills become available.

Some zones include instances, or private zones that only your group may enter. In other words, many groups may be doing the same instance, but none of the groups will be in the same zone. Instances often give some of the best experience and often include a boss that drops some great items. Most instances also contain many quests. For more on instances, click here.

There are currently five item types in World of Warcraft. Poor and common quality items are usually only used and found during a character's first few levels. Uncommon items are imbued with magical qualities and may add strength or make you better at a certain type of spell. Rare items are usually only found in instances or off boss creatures and are very power powerful, usually with better stats, magic properties, and a cool look in the game when used. Epic items are extremely hard to find but are extremely powerful. Characters may equip chest items, shirts, hand items, leg items, feet items, waist items, wrist items, shoulder items, finger items, head items, neck items, and trinkets. Most items have durability that decreases whenever a character dies or is hit often in combat. For more on items, click here.

When a player reaches level 40, they gain the ability to buy a race-specific mount – humans get horses, night elves get nightsabres, dwarves get rams, gnomes get mechano-striders, orcs get wolves, tauren get kodo, undead get undead horses, and trolls get raptors. There are also class-specific mounts – paladins get warhorses and warlocks get felsteed. These mounts make traveling much faster. Druids can shapeshift into an animal form for faster transportation. For more on mounts, click here.

Speaking of travel, many methods are available. Boats, zeppelins (goblin blimps), and trams (gnomish subway) allow fast transportation over long distances. Gryphons, hippogriffs, wind riders, and bats allow fast transportation from zone to zone. These methods allow you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery of World of Warcraft...or take a nap once the scenery starts to bore you. For more on public transportation in World of Warcraft, click here.

Each major faction city, Ironforge and Orgrimmar, have an auction house. The auction house is World of Warcraft's version of EBay. Here, players may place an item up for bidding. Players may also browse through items and bid for things they want. When you win an auction, you will receive it in the mailbox. The mailbox allows players to send and receive mail, items, and money from other players on that server. For more on auction houses, click here.

World of Warcraft contains a very cool mail system. You can send and receive notes, items, and money through the use of this feature. You can also add a C.O.D. to your mail to allow the selling items to people without meeting face to face. For more on the mail system, click here.

Most cities have a bank. Here at banks, your gear is carefully guarded and allows for more storage. Players start out with 24 free slots and may put whatever they want in them. If you are running short on space you have the option to purchase a bag slot to allow for more storage space. For more information on banks, click here.

Quests are available to all players, giving both experience and money or items upon completion. Quests usually incorporate killing a certain number of creatures, looting a certain number of items, or capturing a rare artifact from a dungeon. For more on quests, click here.

As players complete quests and kill monsters, they gain experience. The level cap is currently level 60. Upon reaching this milestone, there is much to do. Many high level zones and quests open up to players. Raid zones are available and allow you to do battle with epic dragons and demons. Blizzard also plans to implement hero classes but has not released much information about them yet. Of course, players can always resort to “ganking” players.

Whatever your style, World of Warcraft has something for you.

Multi-Player (8/10): World of Warcraft is an MMORPG (massively multiplater online role playing game), meaning it may only be played online. There is a monthly fee which varies depending upon subscription plan. Currently, players have the option of using a credit card or pre-paid game card. For more information on billing, click here.

There are three types of servers on World of Warcraft – PvE (player vs. environment), PvP (player vs. player), and RP (role playing). PvE servers and PvP servers vary in that PvE servers basically require consensual agreement to fight players of the opposing faction while PvP servers do not require this. PvP players may be attacked at any time by players of the opposing faction when in contested zones.

Blizzard recently introduced an "Honor PvP System" which rewards you for killing players of the opposing faction with special weapons, armor, and mounts. The more you kill other players, the more you are rewarded. Most people hate this system at the moment because it is near impossible to get anywhere without getting killed. This system will likely be fixed soon.

Unfortunately, the servers of this game often have problems, either crashing or requiring an emergency shutdown for maintenance. Lag can be intolerable at times and make the game utterly unplayable. Patches come slowly, but Blizzard has pledged to be more timely in their releases. These issues may seem terrible, but they do not overshadow an otherwise great game. Multi-player is whatever you make it.

Multimedia

Screenshots:

Races

Humans

Night Elves

Dwarves

Gnomes

Orcs

Tauren

Undead

Trolls

Classes
Available to: Human, Dwarf
Description: Warriors of the light. They benefit party members with their healing, buffs, and auras.

Available to: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Orc, Undead, Troll
Description: Masters of stealth. Specialize in the use of daggers, knives, and short swords, used to backstab opponents. Rogues are often spies, assassins, or thieves.

Available to: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Undead, Troll
Description: The healers of Azeroth. Priests can buff their party greatly with spells and heal the wounds of their party. The job of a priest is not the most exciting but is most definately beneficial.

Available to: Night Elf, Dwarf, Orc, Tauren, Troll
Description: Masters of the outdoors. Hunters specialize in tracking various animals and taming them. Hunters are always on the move, relying on their keen skills in the outdoors. While proficient with the use of melee weapons, hunters also can use bows and firearms.

Available to: Human, Gnome, Undead, Orc
Description: Very powerful mages that have fallen into the use of demonic magic. Their magic is often destructive and is given to them by the Burning Legion.

Available to: Night Elf, Tauren
Description: Protectors of nature. Druids draw their power from the earth. Capable of shapeshifting, druids are extremely powerful.

Available to: All races
Description: Not your average, run of the mill warrior. Warriors are very proficient in their use of weapons and tactics, relying on them heavily to do battle with their enemy. Capable of using many combat abilities such as whirlwind and shield bash, warriors can give and take a heavy beating.

Available to: Human, Dwarf, Gnome, Undead, Troll
Description: Powerful casters of magic. Damage enemies through the use of spells. Not only can spells do damage, they can also benefit party members.

Available to: Orc, Tauren, Troll
Description: Spiritual leaders of their tribal societies. Shaman draw their power from the earth, the sky, and fire. Shaman can damage enemies through their powers as well as heal their allies.

This is a GREAT overall game and WILL keep you captivated for a long time. If you want some more proof of this game's greatness before you buy, take a look at the awards this game has won...

*Best Game of the Year Award - GameSpot
"The thing about World of Warcraft is it offers so much of what we fundamentally love about games, all in a single experience. Just exploring the world of Azeroth can be fun and exciting. The game is conducive to cooperative gameplay, competitive player vs. player action, or solo play. It lets you have a great time regardless of whether you play for one hour or 10 hours at once..."

*Best PC Game of the Year - GameSpot
"World of Warcraft brings together virtually all our favorite aspects of PC gaming: For those of us who love the spirit of competition, there's the player vs. player combat to look forward to. For those of us who enjoy strategy, there are complex group dynamics, deep character-advancement systems, and fast-paced combat. For those of us yearning for another great computer role-playing game, there are tons and tons of quests, and plenty of interesting backstory. It's not often that a game comes around that deserves an unqualified recommendation, but we feel this is one of them..."

*Best Massively Multiplayer Online Game - GameSpot
"From the moment you first set foot in the diverse lands of Azeroth, World of Warcraft captivates with its vast, seamless, and visually cohesive world. Players are placed in charge of their own destinies virtually immediately--there's no tutorial introduction to the game, whose elegantly designed interface is easy to decipher and simple to use. And, while other games in the genre punish players for testing their limits and running risks, World of Warcraft encourages this kind of activity by not forcing players to lose experience when they fail. That sort of can-do design ethic pervades all aspects of the game, allowing characters to make significant progress by playing solo or in groups, giving characters an experience bonus for time they haven't spent online with the game, and so on. It's that welcoming approach that makes this game truly special."

*Editor's Choice Award - GameSpot
"Though massively multiplayer online role-playing games have been around for years, it has taken this long for the genre's breakthrough hit to finally emerge. Here is the online role-playing game you should play, no matter who you are. This is because World of Warcraft brings out all the best aspects of this style of gaming, if not many of the best aspects of gaming in general. It also features many of the specific characteristics that have made Blizzard Entertainment's previous games so entertaining, memorable, long-lasting, and successful. Of course, the company's past track record did not guarantee that World of Warcraft could have turned out this well. Such high quality simply cannot be expected, nor should it be missed."

*PC Game of the Year - (Second Place) - GameSpy
"...it usually takes MMOs years to be as well-balanced and as fun as World of Warcraft was on day one. World of Warcraft is the MMO done right, and with this game, the genre finally has its first true breakout hit -- the MMO for the rest of us."

*Best Role-Playing (RPG or MMORPG) - GameSpy
"In that Blizzard-esque fashion, World of Warcraft takes everything we love about these sorts of role-playing games, distills it down to the elements that makes them fun, and removes anything that gets in the way. What emerges is a fast, fun, and streamlined massively multiplayer online RPG that actually feels like a game. The worlds are beautiful and resplendent (while not being overly taxing of your hardware), and the whole deal is rendered with a level of character very rare in these sorts of games..."

*Top 10 Games of the Year - (Fifth Place) - GameSpy
"What makes World of Warcraft so special is the insane level of polish every feature of the game has. Everything that's fun about an MMO -- questing, grouping, killing monsters, crafting, exploring, searching for new equipment -- has all been streamlined to the point where there's always something fun to do with very little downtime. In other words, there's virtually no "grinding." The game doesn't punish you for having a real life. I can log in for a half-hour and actually get something accomplished."

*PC RPG / MMORPG Gamers' Choice Awards - GameSpy
"World of Warcraft. Flat out. It brings a fun, action-driven MMO onto the scene. Gorgeous lands and characters are perfect. Quest system is superb, and the balance between classes is great. My pick for this year."

*Special Achievement in Art Direction - GameSpy
"World of Warcraft's brilliance is in eschewing realism and building a whole world in a storybook/cartoonish style, so playing World of Warcraft is like strolling through a fairy-tale picture book with eye candy around every corner. The animations are smooth and weighty. Subtle lighting effects set the tone and mood for each area. And the little details -- like seeing your breath in the snow-covered peaks -- make this unreal place feel real."

*Editor's Choice Award - GameSpy
"If you're a fan of MMOs, you'll want to play this game. If you're not a fan of MMOs, but are a fan of great games, you will want to play this game. Hell, if you're a gamer who's ever wanted to pull another person into the hobby, you'll want to play this game and share it with a non-gamer friend. Blizzard has once again lived up to and surpassed its reputation as one of the finest game developers on the planet. World of Warcraft is a stunning achievement destined to be become a classic. "

*Best Persistent World Game - IGN
"Blizzard is one of those developers whose talent and success snowballed to the point where they could test and re-test a game to blinding polish, and WoW took this course for over a year before it retail shelves. The effort shows in every aspect of the game, and their fun-oriented MMO debut puts to shame many other experienced designers in the genre..."

*Editor's Choice Award - IGN
"If you're new to massively multiplayer online games, or PC gaming, and want to see what the fuss is about, WoW is an excellent place to start. If you're a hardcore grognard who takes masochistic pleasure in grinding away on the same monsters in the same camp for hours at a time, you'll be better served elsewhere. If you're in between, I think World of Warcraft is the MMO we've all been waiting for..."

*Game of the Year - IGN
"As part of the price for its previous successes, when Blizzard announced World of Warcraft in September of 2001, both the game and the company immediately faced exceptionally elevated expectations. In November, the studio delivered a title that lives up to and further enhances its record of excellence. Among many notable elements, some that stand out in particular are the quest-driven gameplay, low down time, high accessibility, gentle learning curve, outstanding art direction and fairly modest hardware requirements. Despite some launch and server uptime issues, World of Warcraft's overall worthiness to join the previous winners of our supreme accolade is unquestionable. "

*Online World of the Year - IGN
"In light of its selection as our Game of the Year, the choice for this category is clear."

*Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction - IGN
"Proving once again that crafting a unique look and feel depends on much more than polygon counts and technology, Art Director William Petras and his Blizzard team built a colorful, varied virtual world in which every environment, location, creature, character and item seems like it naturally belongs. The overall visual experience is exceptionally cohesive, while the game also remains true to its heritage by being instantly recognizable as a Warcraft title."

*Best PC RPG - FileFront
"Warcraft fans got a treat when picking up this game. Taking a well loved series in an entirely new direction can be risky, but Blizzard definitely pulled it off with this one..."

*Best Audio - Voodoo Extreme
"Score another for Blizzard, as World of WarCraft takes home the best audio award as well as massively multiplayer game. All the sound you loved in the WarCraft games are back, plus the soundtracks and ambient background tunes are music to my ears. Zug Zug!"

*Overall Top 5 PC Games of the Year - (Second Place) - Voodoo Extreme
"Considering we're a mostly action oriented site, World of WarCraft at number 2 is a shocker. It just goes to show how good the game is by drawing in our usually crusty FPS biased audience. Blizzard titles do have a unique universal appeal to our readers, so we shouldn't really be too surprised; should we?"

*Game of the Year - ActionTrip
"World of Warcraft wins the game of the year award on ActionTrip because Blizzard has succeeded in creating the most seamless and immersive fantasy world that we've visited this year..."

*MMORPG of the Year - ActionTrip
"Just a question: is it normal to spend upwards of five freaking days at a time in a videogame? I mean, that's not abnormal, is it?"

*Editor's Choice Award - ActionTrip
"...there are a choice few studios who set the standard by consistently producing not just good games, but great games. Blizzard Studios is one such developer."

*Best Role Playing Game - Punch Jump Games
"Blizzard's World of Warcraft is addictive as crack and has players clamoring to adventure into unknown lands and gain experience 'till the cows come home. At 14 bucks a month, it should deliver, and does."

*Best Time Sucker Game - Punch Jump Games
"Countless hours on 80 servers can't be wrong for a band of brothers who love to adventure in a virtual land on their PC. World of Warcraft is Blizzard's stunning achievement..."

*Best MMO, 2004 - 1up.com
"Some have called World of Warcraft the greatest massively multiplayer RPG ever made. Even gamers who don't care for MMOs have been eager to hop aboard and give it a play. Such is Blizzard's reputation and following -- you've told us that you know the name Blizzard means quality. WOW builds on the company's excellence, making its victory no real surprise. "

*GR's Best of 2004 Awards - Overall - Game Revolution
"It was a close call, but we simply couldn't resist the tremendous accomplishments of Blizzard's first massively-multiplayer outing. By fixing classic flaws that have plagued the MMORPG genre and delivering a rock solid world from day one, World of Warcraft is a study in smart, efficient, and caring game design. More importantly, it's just about the most addictive, exciting and rewarding game we played all year. In a landscape filled with tweaked sequels and redundant play experiences, World of Warcraft serves as reminder that nothing beats fresh material, particularly when it comes with orcs and zombies. We tip our caps to the folks at Blizzard for wowing us once again and proudly present them with our Best Overall Game of 2004 Award."

*GR's Best of 2004 Awards - Online - Game Revolution
"We're not sure what's more impressive: the fact that Blizzard managed to create such a stable, smart and addictive MMORPG in their first try, or the fact that they managed to do so in the face of so much competition. Either way, World of Warcraft is a riveting game, the best massively-multiplayer game of the year and, quite possibly, ever."

i was itchy on whether or not to get this game cause i'm low on cash now. This review just convinced me i need it. VERY nice read and i'm sure this is gunna set a new bar to beat on reviews. Heh when i get it count me as a sec for one the WoW sections